How to Use Win-Loss Analysis to Fuel 🚀 Growth

When you lose a deal, everyone on your team will have an opinion about what went wrong. But without talking to the customer directly, you can’t know for sure. Today, we're diving deep into the world of win-loss analysis with Spencer Dent, CEO and Co-Founder of Clozd, and Paul Stevens, Director of Revenue Operations at Datacor. 

Find out what win-loss analysis entails, how to secure executive and cross-functional buy-in, the importance of conducting in-depth interviews, and why RevOps professionals are best suited to lead these initiatives.

What Is Win-Loss Analysis?

Win-loss analysis is a must for companies looking to drive more revenue growth. It involves systematically collecting and analyzing feedback from both won and lost deals to understand the factors influencing sales success and failure. For RevOps professionals, this practice is essential for identifying patterns, optimizing sales strategies, and ultimately improving win rates.

“The questions we were trying to answer were, are we pricing effectively? Are the conversations we're having productive and leading to a good experience or a negative experience?” - Paul Stevens

Jump to the clip to hear how win-loss analysis delivers hard-to-find insights.

Getting Executive and Cross-Functional Buy-In for Win-Loss Analysis

Paul Stevens shares how he successfully implemented a win-loss program at Datacor after announcing the initiative during their sales kickoff. He highlights the importance of transparency and involving multiple departments—sales, marketing, product, and executive leadership—to ensure collective ownership and support. 

By communicating the benefits and expected outcomes, Paul secured widespread enthusiasm and turned skeptics into advocates. Buy-in from sales is crucial. If RevOps acts like Big Brother micro-inspecting every deal, your reps will avoid giving you the information and access to customers that you need. 

“The issue is often product gaps or how you're pricing. If you can fix those, your sales team is going to win more and become your best champions.” - Spencer Dent

Jump to the clip for reasons why starting win-loss analysis in a bubble is a recipe for failure.

Importance of Interviewing for In-Depth Insights

Live interviews yield richer insights than surveys. While surveys can provide quantitative data, interviews allow for open-ended questions that encourage customers to share detailed feedback and emotional nuances. For example, understanding a prospect's frustrations or specific objections can reveal underlying issues that might not surface in a survey.

“It’s not just about the yeses and the nos and the whys, but how they sounded during the interview. Were they really emotional about something? Or were they annoyed that we didn't listen to them? This feedback is just gold.” - Paul Stevens

Jump to the clip to hear about the pros and cons of customer surveys.

Incorporating Win-Loss Analysis into the Sales Process

Paul explains how Datacor made win-loss analysis an integral part of their sales process. By regularly reviewing wins and losses in pipeline meetings and automating reports from their CRM, they ensure timely and consistent feedback collection. 

Sales leaders collaborate to determine which deals warrant further analysis, embedding the practice into the organization's routine operations. This supports continuous learning and improvement, making it a natural and efficient part of the sales cycle.

“During pipeline reviews, the first question is usually: have you sent this to Clozd to find out how we’re doing on pricing? Win-loss analysis is an extension of our sales process at this point.” - Paul Stevens 

Jump to the clip to find out how all departments benefit from access to win-loss analysis.

The Impact of High-Quality, Continuous Win-Loss Programs

Win-loss analysis should be an ongoing program rather than a one-time project. Continuous analysis allows companies to track the effectiveness of implemented changes over time. Spencer notes that organizations with sustained, cross-functional win-loss programs see significant improvements in their win rates because they can adapt strategies based on real-time feedback.

“When we go look at what reps say in their CRM about why they lost a deal and compare it to what buyers say, 85% of the time it's wrong.” - Spencer Dent 

Jump to the clip to learn why you’ll lose more deals when you wait until the end of the quarter for analysis.

Why RevOps Should Own Win-Loss Programs

Spencer advocates for RevOps professionals to lead win-loss initiatives. Given their cross-functional role and expertise in data integration and process optimization, RevOps is uniquely positioned to operationalize these programs effectively. By owning win-loss analysis, RevOps can drive strategic decision-making and align various departments toward common goals.

“If I'm a RevOps person, I definitely want to have my hands on this because it is some of the most strategic work you can do.” - Spencer Dent

Jump to the clip for Spencer’s take on why operationalization is so important to win-loss analysis.

By embracing win-loss analysis as a continuous, integrated practice, organizations can unlock valuable insights that drive revenue growth. From securing executive buy-in to conducting in-depth interviews and making win-loss a staple in the sales process, the strategies shared by Spencer and Paul offer a roadmap for RevOps professionals aiming to elevate their organization's performance.

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